EAPSI: The Role of Monoamine Oxidase - A Gene Polymorphism in Aggressive Behavior in Macaques

攻击性是一种在维持社会秩序和在所有灵长类物种中获取重要资源方面发挥作用的行为；然而，在人类中，攻击性有时表现为暴力犯罪，包括袭击、谋杀和强奸。为了维护安全、健康的社区，科学家努力了解攻击性行为的生物学基础是至关重要的。该奖项支持这位研究人员前往日本犬山进行这一主题的研究，在那里她将在灵长类研究所(PRI)后藤由纪利博士的建议下工作。特别是，该项目将研究MAOA基因与两种猕猴攻击性水平之间的关系。PRI提供了一个同时研究灵长类动物行为和遗传学的独特机会，其结果将有助于我们理解基因是如何影响攻击性水平的。在未来，这项研究可能有助于开发针对人类反社会人格障碍的药物疗法。对攻击性行为的遗传基础的研究主要集中在MAOA基因上，尽管它在行为调控中的作用还不完全清楚。MAOA基因编码单胺氧化酶-A酶，它在大脑中发挥作用，降解神经递质5-羟色胺、多巴胺和去甲肾上腺素。在人类和非人类灵长类动物中，MAOA基因的两个变体已被记录在案，一个是高活性变体(MAOA-H)，另一个是低活性变体(MAOA-L)。过去的研究发现，这种低活动的变体与攻击性水平的升高有关，可能是由于循环中的神经递质水平较高。该项目将重点研究恒河猴(Macaca Mulatta)和日本猕猴(Macaca Fuscata)不同的攻击性水平及其与特定MAOA基因变异的关系。这项研究将由三部分组成：一)收集和分析与物种内和物种间攻击行为有关的行为数据，2.)对所有参与行为研究的个体进行MAOA基因分型的测定，以及研究基因变异和攻击性水平之间的联系的数据，这些数据可能解释个体间的攻击性水平以及特定物种的模式。该奖项由东亚和太平洋夏季研究所计划设立，支持一名美国研究生的夏季研究，由NSF和日本科学促进会共同资助。

Aggression is a behavior that plays a functional role in maintaining social order and vital resource procurement among all primate species; however, in humans, aggression is sometimes manifested as violent crime, including assault, murder, and rape. For the sake of maintaining safe, healthy communities, it is crucial that scientists work to understand the biological underpinnings of aggressive behavior. This award supports the researcher as she investigates this topic by traveling to Inuyama, Japan, where she will work under the advisement of Dr. Yukiori Goto at the Primate Research Institute (PRI). In particular, this project will examine the relationship between the MAOA gene and levels of aggression in two macaque species. The PRI offers a unique opportunity to study primate behavior and genetics simultaneously, and the results will contribute to our understanding of how genes contribute to levels of aggression. In the future, this research may aid in the development of pharmaceutical therapies for antisocial personality disorders in humans. Research on the genetic basis of aggressive behavior has focused on the MAOA gene, though its role in behavior modulation is not fully understood. The MAOA gene codes for the enzyme monoamine oxidase-A and it functions in the brain to degrade the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. In humans and nonhuman primates, two variants of the MAOA gene have been documented, a high-activity variant (MAOA-H) and a low-activity variant (MAOA-L). Past studies have found the low-activity variant to be associated with elevated levels of aggression, presumably due to higher levels of circulating neurotransmitters. This project will focus on differential levels of aggression and its relationship to particular MAOA gene variants in rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and Japanese (Macaca fuscata) macaques. The research will consist of three components: I.) collection and analysis of behavioral data as it relates to aggressive behavior within and between species, II.) determination of MAOA genotype for all individuals involved in the behavioral studies, and III.) examination of the data for associations between gene variants and levels of aggression that may explain inter-individual levels of aggression as well as species-specific patterns.This award, under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program, supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.